Assassin's Creed 3 creative director warns of lengthy games

Let's be honest, at $60 a pop, we want as much out of a game as possible. These suckers aren't cheap anymore so why not wish for a game that's incredibly long?

According to Assassin's Creed 3 creative director Alex Hutchinson, lengthy games have their drawbacks as well.

It may seem weird coming from the creative director of Assassin's Creed 3, a game which is set to be the "biggest to date" out of the series, but speaking to VG247 Hutchinson explained, "There is only so much you can juggle in your mind simultaneously, and only so much variety you can add before it starts to feel random and not cohesive."

Hutchinson also warned that a longer game means a lower completion rate for many players, and with a game as dependent on story as Assassin's Creed, that can pose a big challenge.

“Also, we have a very high completion rate on the franchise, and if you make it too long you start to lose that, which would be a disaster for a game like ours where we really value the consistency and continuity of the universe," he added.

With that being said Hutchinson did admit, “The game is huge, both in physical size, play time and in the amount of new gameplay we packed in. We stripped out a lot of mechanics and systems from previous games but I think we are still pushing the maximum possible scope.”

I personally prefer games with a shorter campaign, but high replay value with through multiplayer. Thankfully, Assassin's Creed 3 seems to be shaping into that mold. While I have no doubt the campaign of AC3 will be more than long enough, I also like what Ubisoft is doing with multiplayer. With the standard multiplayer modes and a new "Wolf Pack" co-op mode, there should be plenty to do even after you complete the game.

Matt Liebl
You can follow Senior News Editor Matt Liebl on Twitter @Matt_GZ. He likes games, sports, musicals, and his adorable dog, Wrigley, and his wife.